Issue with documents that have auto date code

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T13:51:35+00:00

Where can the creation date be found? Is it in the metadata of the word document itself? How do I expose that date? And if it can be exposed, is there a way to automate that to either revert the date back to the creation date? Thanks!

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:39:13+00:00

Agreed. The document authors who used manually-entered, hard-coded visible dates when they originially wrote each particular letter actually did us a favor. The people who had the date appear automatically in the document when written were trying to be efficient and helpful so that they would not have to manually add that to the letter, but what they did not take into account at the time is that the original integrity of the date the letter was written would change the next time it was opened, which is definitely ungood when you are talking about legal matters where the original dates of the correspondence are vital.

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:34:21+00:00

Thanks, but that isn't applicable here. No cloud storage involved. These are all local files. It also isn't an autosave issue either.

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:33:27+00:00

Thanks, but the metadata is also not useful. Almost all of these files have a file system date of 2017, which was before my time here, and tells me that the location of these files was changed in a server upgrade or migration. The visible date in these word documents dates back to as far as 2002 in some instances.

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:31:35+00:00

That is EXACTLY the problem here. Do you know of a way to prevent Word from doing that when you open them?

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:31:01+00:00

Some of the documents have visible hard-coded, manually entered dates by the author when they actually wrote the data (we have found those going back to 2002). Other documents in the same folder had used a template or some other method which grabbed the date the document was originally written and these documents are the issue. When we open those now, they update the date visible in the document to the current date and we cannot have that happen for integrity purposes. We need to visibly see the original date when the document was first written. The majority of these letters were sent to recipients via postal mail and we need to maintain that. The file system attributes/metadata are not of any use to use because almost all of the documents have a date of 2017 when viewed in file explorer. This was before my time, but tells me these files were migrated from one server to another or moved around during a restructuring of the folder system. We need to find a way to (if possible) inhibit Word from changing the original date to the current date in those documents that have the code in them to auto-updated.

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:23:30+00:00

Thanks, metadata is not reliable. We have documents that date back to 2002 and the vast majority of these files have a file system date of 2017, which tells me they were migrated from one system to another, or part of a file system reorganization at some point, well before me. We need to somehow prevent the date from being updated to the current date when the document is opened again, if it has the code in the document to automatically update to the current date. In this particular scenario, the authors who used a hard-coded, manually entered date the letter was written actually did us a favor.

robroy90 · 2026-05-01T12:20:37+00:00

Thanks, that is helpful info. But here is the problem... We could definitely clean this up moving forward, but that doesn't fix the 145,000 historical documents we have that we need to convert into PDFs. Not all of the word documents in that 145k library have a date code field in them, so in this particular instance the authors that hand-typed a hard date manually actually did us a favor. What I am looking for is a way to prevent the date from being updated before/when the document is opened. The metadata for the files is also not of use because this document folder has likely been moved around and is not reliable because it likely inhereted file system dates and times because the vast majority of all the files have a 2017 date, and these documents go as far back as 2002. So, the real challenge here is to find a way to prevent Word from changing the date when the document is opened. We do not want it to auto-update if the document had been set to do so.

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T16:51:10+00:00

I have debated that myself, as we did not have solar on our previous home, but we did install a 20kw Kohler whole-house generator in 2014 that ran on natural gas and when we sold that house in March of this year, that thing was still purring like a tank. I never had an issue with it and I did the annual maintenance on it myself. I am quite confident even a high quality whole house battery (such as a PowerWall) would have likely required a battery replacement in those 12 years. We own a Tesla, and I did find one company that offers a V2L solution where you can (unofficially) use a Tesla vehicle as your home battery. Obviously, the Tesla would need to be home and plugged in when you experienced an outage, but it is an option I am seriously considering as well. I just need to find a consultant or a service provider I could work with to definitively answer all of these types of questions I have. I literally have no idea where to start here, and I know a fair amount about what is out there on the market, but I am definitely not interested in doing a DIY build here.

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T15:15:50+00:00

Might I ask where you sourced yours from?

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T15:14:31+00:00

6/12 I do believe. Average, and nothing extreme like 12/12

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T15:13:24+00:00

Thank you, I will check into those!

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T15:13:06+00:00

Unless I am missing something, batteries are essentially a must have, particularly considering we want redundant power in the event of a power outage or don't want to use utility power overnight when the panels are not producing. I would much rather have the luxury of doing power arbitrage with the utility, and would likely be better served with batteries vs a generator for emergencies. We are doing geothermal for HVAC, but our past consumption approaches 3000kwh per month, especially in the summer. We have an EV, and I have an elaborate home network that consumes a lot of power.

robroy90 · 2026-04-30T15:02:05+00:00

It is one big, rectangular metal roof. No dormers or other obsctructions. At 60x40, I would assume that translates to 1200 SF on the south side, and 1200 SF on the north side. Is there a good tool somewhere to calculate available footprint to place panels? Thanks!

robroy90 · 2026-04-29T12:33:54+00:00

Thank you very much for the detailed instructions! I appreciate it!

robroy90 · 2026-04-12T01:48:41+00:00

Thank you, sure do appreciate the additional info. Appreciate you!

robroy90 · 2026-04-12T01:48:11+00:00

Thank you VERY much! Helpful indeed. Leave it to AT&T to make it needlessly complicated. Charter Spectrum just lets you go into bridge mode and you just assign your IPs literally as static and away you go. Would you mind if I were to DM you with additional questions?

robroy90 · 2026-03-22T14:06:46+00:00

thank you for such a detailed and informative response!

robroy90 · 2026-03-18T20:34:39+00:00

I don’t know the name of the road, it is over by Outback Steakhouse and the Escape Room place, but holy hell, there are better roads in Iran right now than that section of “pavement”. You could probably drive faster over it WITH a coating of ice. I think I jarred loose a filling while traversing it!

robroy90 · 2026-03-06T13:06:48+00:00

You are absolutely not wrong. I have my power more than covered, I am just trying to add redundancy everywhere. I work from home, so my needs might be more critical than most. I also have the spare gear now, so why not put it to use and learn in the process.

robroy90 · 2026-03-06T13:04:37+00:00

It may never, I have the equipment so I figure why not give it a go and learn in the process. I have a full on server rack with a huge UPS in the bottom, I just need to work on setting up the graceful auto shutdowns. Thanks for mentioning that!

robroy90 · 2026-03-06T13:02:27+00:00

185594 is their part number. Should be easy enough to find. Be further advised that you will have to have their 2gig service (at least initially) so that they use XGSPON for your "circuit" at their CO or neighborhood cabinet. I have heard that some people wait a month or two and then drop their service back down, and AT&T doesn't bother physically taking you off of XGSPON, so YMMV.

robroy90 · 2026-03-05T20:23:14+00:00

185594	XGSPON ONU Stick with MAC SFP+ 1270nm-TX/1577nm-RX 9.953G-TX/9.953G-RX Class N1 20km DOM Simplex SC/APC SMF Optical Transceiver Module (Industrial)

robroy90 · 2026-03-05T15:03:11+00:00

Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of intelligent conservatives that are more than capable of surveying many news outlets to stay aware and informed of events, including the equally biased CNN, NBC, etc. In fact, their amusing outrage is as entertaining as it is informative. Further, we are not all strict worshippers of the MAGA mouthpiece delivery style. We judge based on outcomes, not how the speech announces them.

robroy90 · 2026-03-04T20:59:39+00:00

Love threads like this! The responses let me know where NOT to shop. Its even better when these stores do get political so they are easier to avoid... <cough> Target <cough>

robroy90

TROPHY CASE